The Red Sox were criticized by fans for what many felt was a quiet offseason after back-to-back seasons without a postseason appearance. Boston didn't tear down its roster, but meaningful additions that could propel the Red Sox back to October were minimal.

The end of this year’s hopes came slowly, stretched out by the competition’s inability to put together a run of their own. Detroit is the only club to get hot when it mattered. The Tigers forced themselves into the race by going 27-11 since Aug. 10.

Maybe the Red Sox aren’t just going to play out the string this week. After dropping the series opener to the Twins on Friday, the Sox announced they were shutting down Rafael Devers for the final week of the season,